When Gary Lineker tried trolling Chelsea fans back in 2015, we doubt he imagined it could possibly come back to bite him less than 18 months on.
As a Leicester City supporter, the former England striker probably thought taking the piss out of Premier League champions would never be something that people could throw back at him in relation to the Foxes.
Sure, Claudio Ranieri’s team might have been just three points off the top of the table on Halloween 2015, but the bigger story at the time concerned the reigning 2014/15 champions, who were languishing just four points off the drop zone after 11 points from as many games under José Mourinho.
So, when Lineker typed these words, they were sent with a mixture of tongue-in-cheek humour and the knowledge – or so he thought – that the comment couldn’t be thrown back in his face.
Don't panic Chelsea fans. No team in @premierleague history has won the title and been relegated the following season.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 31, 2015
Of course, we all know what happened next. Chelsea stayed up, Leicester won the league, and now Ranieri’s men are putting that stat to the test.
Somehow there’s always someone capable of finding an old tweet at the most opportune time. In this case it was former Ireland Under-21 goalkeeper Ian McLoughlin, who had the perfect response to the Match of the Day host.
Leicester aren’t exactly dead and buried – after all, they’re still a point clear of the drop, despite losing to Swansea and going six league games without a goal – but Lineker took it in good spirits despite probably looking nervously over his shoulder.
Who knows, maybe Leicester will make a run to mid-table and then find themselves 10 points clear next February.
